does knowing how to drive stick (manual transmission) stay with you?

[Anonymous]

It’s like riding a bicycle!

[Anonymous]

Yes. I would go five years at a clip without driving at all, but when we would go on international trips, I was always the driver. Stick sticks.

[Anonymous]

It comes back, and then for at least a week afterwards you will try to shift in your own car, which has no clutch.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I drove stick shift for a few years about 20 years ago. Rented car with stick shift last year. It was fine. It took me a day to completely, otherwise I was forgetting that I need to press the clutch with my left leg. It takes a couple of days for The left leg and right arm to stop sleeping and for change of gear to become “automatic” for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It comes back, and then for at least a week afterwards you will try to shift in your own car, which has no clutch.

Even now, every once in a while my left foot hovers upward, itching to have a job to do.

[Anonymous]

Yes, but try to give yourself a little time to get back in the groove. When we travel to another country I usually get an automatic if I can, because especially if you are renting at the airport, there isn't really a place to practice and get the feel of that car.

[Anonymous]

Yes it does

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but I'm bad at downshifting. I'd rather put it in neutral and let it glide and only bother putting in in drive when I need to start going again. I cannot break, turn and downshift at the same time. If I have a turn coming and I need to slow down, I'd rather not break with it in gear as it might die out.

That's something my dad would yell at me about, because if you stay in gear and downshift the slowing of the engine actually helps the vehicle slow down more quickly-- and the worst thing to do would be to go into neutral in a situation where it is especially important to maintain control, such as on a curve or a hill. Plus, if it dies when you downshift, np--let your foot off the clutch and the engine will start as long as you're still going forward.

[Anonymous]

It’s like riding a bike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s like riding a bike.

Yep. I hadn’t driven stick since college and then went to Portugal after more than a decade and it was like I’d never given up my manual car. It also made me miss the little pick up truck I drove through high school and college!

[Anonymous]

Yes and No it has to be same type of stick. I had a Jeep CJ7 with a stick and every time someone claimed they knew a stick could not drive it.

It had a H shift Pattern which is reverse up to left, and then three speeds forward on other parts of shift, folks kept going into reverse thinking it was first it Not all sticks are the same.